Hodge is making his way back from knee problems while Rioli (ankle) and Lake (calf) haven't played since the first round of the NAB Cup.

Speaking on Nova FM this morning, Hodge was less optimistic about playing in the AFL season-opener.

"I will be playing this weekend but more than likely Box Hill," Hodge said.

"(My comeback is) more likely (Round) 3 or 4. My body feels great, from the operation I have built up nicely and I'm just looking forward to playing some footy."

The Hawks have three players recovering from knee surgery - defenders Matt Suckling and Brendan Whitecross and young midfielder Alex Woodward.

Burgoyne said he was optimistic about breaking the Hawks' losing streak against the Cats which dates from the 2008 Grand Final.

"They have come out on top but I have no doubt on Monday there's going to be a massive crowd there and they are going to come hard at us again but hopefully we can turn things around this time," he said.

"They have been really tight games and with Hawkins kicking a goal after the siren last year shows how tight it was and we are expecting a game like that again."

A NOTE ABOUT RELEVANT ADVERTISING: We collect information about the content (including ads) you use across this site and use it to make both advertising and content more relevant to you on our network and other sites.